The Georgia Board of Regents on Thursday named former Georgia Secretary of State Cathy Cox to be the next president of Georgia College & State University.
University System of Georgia acting Chancellor Teresa MacCartney cited Cox’s experience in liberal arts education as one of several reasons she was a strong candidate for the position. Cox was a former president of Young Harris College, a private liberal arts school in the North Georgia mountains.
Georgia College, located in Milledgeville, is the University System’s primary liberal arts university.
“Thank you to the Board and Acting Chancellor MacCartney for this tremendous opportunity,” Cox said in a statement. “I am excited to work with an already amazing faculty and staff as we enhance Georgia College as a destination for students seeking a preeminent liberal arts education. I can’t wait to get started.”
The current president, Steve Dorman, announced earlier this year he’s stepping down from the position in September. Cox’s scheduled start date is Oct. 1.
Cox was Secretary of State from 1999 to 2007. She unsuccessfully ran as a Democrat for governor in 2006. Cox was president of Young Harris College for 10 years before becoming dean of Mercer University School of Law in 2017.
Georgia College had nearly 7,000 students last fall. It is the University System’s primary liberal arts university. About six in 10 of students who enroll there graduate from that school within six years, according to state and federal data.
